TROGLODYTID.E — THE WRENS. 143 



with the rapidity of thouglit. Mr. Audubon often saw it singing from the 

 roof of an abantloned tiat-boat, near New Orleans, and when its song was 

 ended it would creep from one board to the next, enter an augur-hole at 

 one place to reappear at another, catching numerous spiders and other in- 

 sects all the while. 



Occasionally its movements are like those of a Creeper, ascending to the 

 upper branches of trees of a moderate height, or climbing a grapevine, 

 ^enrching diligently among the leaves and in the crevices of the bark for 

 insects. 



This species possesses a great variety and power of song. It is also said 

 to have and to exhibit remarkable powers of imitation, with a great variety 

 in its appropriated notes of other birds, giving, with modulations, the hoarse 

 rattle of the Kingtisher, the lively notes of the Tufted Titmouse, the simple 

 refrain of tlie Ground Robin, with those of the Grakles, the Meadow Lark, 

 the Bluebird, and others. Like the common Wren, the Carolina generally 

 builds its nest in the hollow of some tree or stump, or any other convenient 

 cavity. At other times it constructs its own habitation without any other 

 protection than the thick branches of a vine or shrub. In these situations 

 they are long and deep, and have an artificial roofing, often separate from the 

 nest itself The materials employed in their construction are hay, grasses, 

 leaves, feathers, horse-hair, and dry fibres of the long Spanish moss. They 

 are softly and warndy lined with fur, hair, and feathers. The nest is not 

 unfrequently five or six inches in depth, while the opening is not large 

 enough to admit more than one bird at a time. They sometimes raise three 

 broods in a season. 



It breeds as far north as Philadelphia, Mr. Audubon having found its nest 

 in a swamp in New Jersey, opposite that city. 



Although seemingly studious of concealment, and sliy and retiring in its 

 habits, Nuttall frequently observed it in Tuscaloosa and other large towns 

 in Alabama, appearing on the tops of barns and out-houses, singing with 

 great energy. 



Dr. Cooper, who enjoyed a favorable opporturdty of watching these birds 

 in Florida, in the spring and summer of 1859, found a nest of tliis Wren in 

 the middle of March. It was built in a small box on a shelf in a mill, and 

 was about four feet from the ground. It was arched over at the top, though 

 this was not necessary to shelter it. This covering was formed of shavings, 

 with a few small sticks and straws. Four eggs were laid. Tlie birds were 

 Aery tame, and were not alarmed by the loud noise of the mill, nor by a cat 

 almost always present. Another nest found by Dr. Cooper was built in a 

 small hole in the trunk of a tree, not more than six inches from the ground. 

 This nest was not arched over. Its close proximity to a dwelling-house 

 alone protected it from wild animals. 



The eggs of this Wren are usually six or seven in number, and vary in size 

 and shape. They are for the most part of a spheroidal-oval shape, though 



